ALBANY, N.Y. – Syracuse played its second of three exhibition games at MVP Arena Sunday against the Siena Saints.
The Orange escaped the contest 81-76 in a physical bout, with both teams finishing with 20 or more fouls.
The Orange had a slow start and found themselves trailing at halftime following a Tim Ibukunoluwa buzzer-beater. But out of the locker room, Syracuse began to swing with a 17-4 run.
It wasn’t pretty behind the arc for SU. Shooting was one of the many things Syracuse head coach Gerry McNamara harped on after the game.
“The way we’re shooting, I don’t think we’re going to shoot it at the pace they’re shooting,” McNamara said. “We talked about it all week, about how fast the pace was going to be. We just didn’t match it.”
Freshman guard Moesch helped facilitate the Orange offense Sunday, leading the team with five assists. Junior Gavin Doty and freshman Mark Morano thrived on Moesch’s passing and led the team with 20 and 18 points, respectively.
Syracuse also faced adversity around the basket. The Orange were outrebounded 43-37 and outscored by 14 in the paint. Junior center Luke Wilson realized his physicality wasn’t anywhere near where it needed to be.
“I’m the biggest guy out there,” Wilson said. “There’s really no excuse for me to be short on points in the paint tonight.”
Nine members of Syracuse who were formerly a part of Siena’s program, took part in a pregame ceremony to receive their championship rings and watch the NCAA Tournament banner unfurl.
McNamara led the Saints to a program-best 23-12 record, won Siena’s seventh MAAC Championship and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 years.
Syracuse travels to Buffalo on Saturday to play the Niagara Purple Eagles in the final exhibition game before the 2026-27 season tips off on Nov. 2.